To Love is To Die
by vineetachenvineeta
Summary: On the path to be herself again, Veronica Donovan McLaggen makes new friends, and finds a way to escape the traumatic experience from her childhood. Although she seems happier, Veronica will never truly be herself again unless she confronts her past. Should she let her past consume her? Or should she face it head on and not let it define who she is?
1. Full Summary

Summary

Veronica Donovan McLaggen knew she was different from the other children at her age. The first time she opened her eyes, they started changing colors. From blue to brown, even to purple. Her adoptive parents called it Metamorphagy. She had the rare ability to change her appearance on command. Veronica was a metamorphmagus, and a trained Occlumens. However, having these special abilities might not be as good as her fellow classmates think.

On the path to be herself again, Veronica makes new friends, and finds a way to escape the traumatic experience from her childhood. Although she seems happier, Veronica will never truly be herself again unless she confronts her past. Should she let her past consume her? Or should she face it head on and not let it define who she is?


	2. Prologue

Prologue

In a dark alley of Ireland, the rain crashed down around a young girl, who sat with her arms around her legs, grasping to the sense of comfort and protection from the trauma of abuse that she experienced just a year ago. Silent tears shook the girl, as the soft footsteps of her brother came to comfort her. He sat down beside her, holding her, waiting patiently for the crying to recede.

"It'll get better," whispered the boy. "I promise."

"No," replied the young girl. "It wouldn't. I can still hear the screams and feel the pain as if it happened this morning. I hear it everyday. And every night in my nightmares."

The boy didn't know what to say. What was he, a boy of barely nine years of age, supposed to say, when his little sister of seven years experienced something that he never had in the majority of his childhood. For all he knew, she was abused by her Muggle parents when they found out that she was a witch. The Ministry of Magic intervened, and sent her to live with his family when they took up her case before she could become an Obscurial.

"Veronica, c'mon," said the boy, standing up and offering a hand to his sister. "Let's go in before you catch a cold."

She took his offered hand, and together, they made their way back to the home that happily took her in without a second thought.

A/N

Okay, so I suppose I should add the disclaimer first. The Harry Potter series doesn't belong to me in any way and it belongs to JK Rowling. I only own Veronica and yeah...I'm only trying in the field of writing so I'm not really sure about anything here. Hopefully the chapters would become longer and longer since this is only the prologue, but no promises here :( Oh well, please review so that I know how I'm doing. Signing out for now :)


	3. Chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys! So...because this story is AU, the actual story timeline is messed up. Harry, Hermione, and Ron wouldn't appear. Well, Ron would exist as part of the Weasley family, but that is pretty much it. Also, I know that in the prologue I said that Veronica is two years younger than Cormac, but I realised that it wouldn't work out, so Veronica is seven in the prologue while Cormac is eight (sorry 'bout that part).

* * *

Change of the Tide

* * *

 _Veronica could hear her birth mother's voice everywhere in the house. She ran from room to room, hoping that there would be a safe haven for her to escape the troubles of home. There was no way for her to escape what was about to happen..._

"Veronica!" called a voice from downstairs. "Wake up now! Today is your big day! We're going to the Ministry!"

"I'm up!" replied Veronica, who groggily sat up in bed, still bundled up in blankets like a sushi roll. "Who wakes up at seven in the morning on a Saturday?"

"I do," interrupted her adoptive brother. "Outta bed you, we're gonna go to the Ministry if you didn't hear mum. Besides, a few days later, I'm gonna go to Hogwarts! And just imagine how great it would be there!" suddenly, he lowered his voice to mimic that of an adult. "Make way! Make way for the one and only Cormac McLaggen! He is the greatest history has ever seen! He is the best for your team! He is the Keeper for-" Cormac paused suddenly. "You'll play Quidditch with me when we come back right?"

"Sure thing," muttered Veronica half-heartedly.

"Wait, did something happen again?" asked Cormac. "Did something happen last night?"

"Nothin'. Just a dream."

"Veroni-" Cormac started, but Veronica closed the door to the bathroom before he could say anything else.

* * *

As the McLaggen family and Veronica made their way through the crowded hall of the Ministry of Magic, she felt sick to her stomach. She remembered her adoptive parents talking in muffled voices about how the Ministry has already tried several times to make Veronica forget about her troubled past. They tried wiping her memory, but it never worked. For some reason, her past was too complicated to be erased without destroying who she was. So this was the last choice. If this failed too, Veronica's adoptive parents decided that they wouldn't let her try anything else because it may be too dangerous. Whatever they were going to do today, Veronica didn't feel as if it would be a good thing.

"Hey," said Cormac, startling Veronica back into the reality where they had stopped in front of a big door. There was a silver plaque on the door, but before she could read it, she was led into a room that resembled an office. There were six desks put together in a group like you would in a classroom, and those groups lined the room. It was completely empty except for the group of people that just entered, and dark except for a single flame that glowed a bit too brightly for its size. A man in his late twenties was sitting at the desk nearest to the flame. As the new company made their way closer to the man, he turned and looked up. This man had shoulder-length greasy hair and a hooked nose too large for his face.

"Severus," acknowledged Veronica's father.

The man called Severus didn't say anything. He simply nodded, acknowledging the fact that he heard. He glanced at Cormac, but his look seemed calculating, like he is sizing up an enemy. Veronica looked at her brother, wondering what the-so-called-Severus could see in him.

With his blond hair and green eyes, Cormac looked like a normal person that you would see on the streets. In contrast to her brother, Veronica was anything but a seemingly normal person on the streets. When she glanced at the reflective walls of the foreign room in the Ministry, all she could see was a girl who was shorter than the other girls at her age, and not much more. Her past had changed her, not only emotionally, but physically. Her metamorphagy was affected by all the sadness in her childhood, thus preventing her from changing her appearance at her own, free will.

"So this is the girl?" asked Severus, snapping Veronica back to reality again. "Did you talk to Dumbledore and Grey?"

"Yes," replied Veronica's mother this time. "This skill would be hard to learn, but I think Veronica can manage. She is a very strong girl. And for Dumbledore, yes. Veronica can enter Hogwarts a year earlier than everyone else. And thank you Severus, truly."

"You're welcome," said Severus, turning to Veronica. "And if you'll all excuse us, Ms. Donovan and I have some things to talk about."

Cormac turned to face Veronica and squeezed her shoulder, "Hey you'll be fine, I know it. We'll be waiting outside."

Veronica nodded as her adoptive family left the room, and she turned to the greasy haired man.

She wondered, _who was this man? And isn't Hogwarts the school the Cormac would go to in a few days? She is enrolled? And lastly, what was she going to learn that was so dangerous?_

The greasy-haired-man-called-Severus sat back down in his chair from a few moments ago, and gestured to the seat across. Veronica slowly sat down, but her gaze never wavered from the man.

"So, Ms. Donovan," started Severus. "I should probably start by introducing myself. I'm Severus Snape, and I'll be your professor at Hogwarts so just call me Professor Snape or sir. And to start off, any questions?"

Veronica hesitated for a moment, but she started, "Um sir, what are we going to do?"

Professor Snape seemed to have a ghost of a smile etched onto his face for a second, but it quickly disappeared. "I'll answer that in a second, but first, tell me everything from your past.

* * *

A/N: Okie, so basically, if you can recall, I used "from changing her appearance at her own, free will" because in my story, her sadness would change what she looked like, instead of Veronica changing it herself. And second of all, there are two characters in this chapter that in the actual series, are shown as arrogant and obnoxious, but I want to show the side of them that they don't usually show to other people. Lastly, please do leave a review on your way out. Thank you sooooo much :)


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